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The John Day – Umatilla area includes the John Day River and Umatilla River basins, and Oregon’s upper reaches of the Columbia River. The John Day Pool and McNary Pool of the Columbia offer outstanding fishing for bass and walleye, and many fishing tournaments are held here. Anglers also will find good fishing for bullhead catfish, crappie and other panfish in McKay Reservoir near Pendleton and Willow Creek Reservoir just outside of Heppner. For those who enjoy fishing for smallmouth, the John Day River offers one of the finest bass fisheries in the country and a unique opportunity for an…

Most warmwater anglers traveling to the northeast area are probably heading to Brownlee Reservoir, a huge 15,000 acre waterbody located along the Oregon-Idaho Reservoir on the Snake River. Brownlee offers outstanding fishing for bass and catfish, but might be best known for its crappie fishery which attracts anglers from throughout the country. However, anglers shouldn't overlook the other fishing opportunities located further downstream below Brownlee in Oxbow and Hells Canyon Reservoirs, and in the Snake River itself. Even in the lower Grand Ronde, a river better known for trout and steelhead, anglers will find good smallmouth bass fishing during the…

Small game species provide a variety of hunting experiences throughout the state and are an excellent way to introduce new hunters to hunting. Only the appropriate hunting license is necessary to hunt small game (no tags or permits). There are three major categories of small game in Oregon: western gray squirrel, unprotected mammals and furbearers.

Binoculars? Check. Field guide? Check. Now what? Learn the basics for bird watching.

The southeast area covers the high desert country of Harney and Malheur counties and is the most arid region of Oregon. Extended dry periods or droughts can affect the warmwater fisheries in this area, but these can be quick to rebound when water returns. The area’s most popular warmwater fishery is found in Owyhee Reservoir, a huge nearly 14,000 acre reservoir located on the Owyhee River south of Ontario that offers outstanding fishing for bass, crappie and catfish. There are few roads to and along Owyhee, but those with a boat will be rewarded with remote and spectacular scenery. Other…

The southwest area follows Interstate 5 from Drain south to the Oregon-California border and includes the communities of Grants Pass, Medford and Ashland. In this area, anglers can fish the famed lower Umpqua River, which offers one of the finest smallmouth bass fisheries in the country. Outstanding warmwater fishing for bass and panfish can also be found in the area's many lakes and reservoirs including Cooper Creek, Galesville and Emigrant Reservoirs, and Selmac Lake. Smaller ponds near Sutherlin, Grants Pass and Medford including those at ODFW's Denman Wildlife Area are also good bets, particularly for families or young anglers.

To maintain boating access and to protect Oregon's waters from invasive species, all boaters must have the required permit. Visit ODFW's Electronic Licensing System to buy permits.

Legal shooting hours for Game Birds and Northwest Permit Goose for the 2025-26 hunting seasons.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife owns or manages nearly 200,000 acres of land set aside for wildlife use and public recreation. The ODFW Wildlife Area Parking Permit helps fund habitat improvements and visitor amenities such as parking, restrooms and interpretive signs at these wildlife refuges. Buy a Parking Permit

Find maps, boundary descriptions and the percent public land in the Biggs Unit.

Build bird houses for ODFW. Teach families to fish. Walk a stream or hike in a forest looking for animals or sign of animals to support various studies. Teach others to hunt or about hunter safety. Assist Marine Reserves with onshore or offshore studies. These are just some of the things ODFW volunteers do to help protect and enhance Oregon's natural resources. Current volunteer opportunities

Más personas en Oregon pescan truchas que cualquier otro tipo de pez. Los pescadores pueden experimentar una vida de aventuras variadas y gratificantes pescando truchas en los arroyos costeros sombreados de Oregón, lagos alpinos, estanques urbanos y ríos altos del desierto.‌

All Oregon-licensed anglers fishing for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon (catch-and-release and retention) on all rivers and tributaries in the Columbia River Basin need to have a Columbia River Basin Endorsement (CRBE). Washington-licensed anglers need a Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement (CRSSE) from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Here are the current volunteer opportunities at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Find the one that's right for you! Learn more about volunteering with ODFW

The Oregon Health Authority has issued an advisory for recreationally harvested softshell and gaper clams along the Oregon coast due to arsenic contamination. Visit healthoregon.ogr/fishadv to lean more, including shellfish cleaning guidelines that reduce your exposure.‌

The Oregon Health Authority has issued an advisory for recreationally harvested softshell and gaper clams along the Oregon coast due to arsenic contamination. Visit healthoregon.ogr/fishadv to lean more, including shellfish cleaning guidelines that reduce your exposure.‌

Mud and ghost shrimp are popular baits for salmon, sturgeon and other marine fish. Learn how simple it is to harvest your own.

If you bought a tag you must report, even if you weren't successful or didn't hunt. Hunters have until January 31 (or April 15 if purchased a late tag) each year to report their previous year's hunts. Report your hunt online or at an ODFW license vendor.

Oregon's recreational fisheries for Pacific halibut and bottomfish are constrained by bycatch of yelloweye rockfish, an overfished species. Many of the regulations on these fisheries exist to keep bycatch of yelloweye rockfish within sustainable limits, in order to help the stock recover (for example, depth restrictions in the bottomfish fishery, and no lingcod or rockfish during all-depth halibut days). ODFW encourages anglers to reduce impacts by using descending devices to release yelloweye rockfish, and better yet, to avoid areas where they might be caught.